The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 137: Plague Duo 4

What do you think defines a malicious person?

In a broad sense, you might consider someone who plays a few mischievous pranks to be malicious. But in a narrower sense, it could also include those who harbor boundless ill will toward others—the truly malicious.

Fortunately, in 2088’s Hunter era, thanks to technological advancements such as the introduction of real-name systems on the internet and the emergence of a new social class known as Awakened individuals, the latter kind of truly malicious people were rare.

Not only had real-name systems and tracking technologies become highly developed, but even non-Hunters among the Awakened were akin to walking weapons, possessing varying degrees of lethal potential.

If someone were unlucky enough to cross paths with a madman, they might end up answering to King Yama with the embarrassing excuse, “I got stabbed while being malicious.”

As a result, most malicious individuals now avoided crossing serious lines.

However, there was a downside to this.

One of the most ambiguous and challenging aspects of human relations and society is knowing where to draw the line. In the past, malicious individuals could be easily corrected—simply file a lawsuit.

But nowadays, dealing with the many lower-level malicious individuals, who are more in the “annoying but not quite lawsuit-worthy” category, has become increasingly difficult.

This phenomenon is especially common among Hunter streamers or broadcast personalities who are exposed to the general public.

In the past, if someone said, “That person posted hate comments about me,” you could just sue them.

But imagine a scenario where an S-rank Hunter, who earns at least 1 billion won a month and is treated like a national asset, is doing a livestream.

Even if they receive countless malicious comments like “Damn, this person’s making bank,” “Why does someone like me stay stuck at D-rank while others start at B-rank?” or “Hey, could you get me some chicken?” out of jealousy and resentment, the S-rank Hunter can’t sue them.

Why? Because it would be considered excessive.

Part of the reason is that when an Awakened person harms a civilian, courts usually side with the civilian.

Of course, if that civilian committed a crime or fraud, leniency might be granted, but as in traffic laws where pedestrians are given priority, the same goes for civilians over Awakened individuals.

The Awakened are seen as walking heavy machinery, capable of killing people easily, so despite the Hunter-friendly atmosphere, there are still strong legal regulations governing them.

In conclusion, despite making billions and being a symbol of national power, Awakened individuals rarely sue civilians for minor malicious behavior as long as it doesn’t cross the line.

And so, a new culture has emerged—collaborative broadcasts.

Though this culture is primarily used by those with exceptional tracking skills or someone like Yeonseo, rather than going through the hassle of lawsuits or legal battles with shameless malicious viewers, it became common for streamers to handle them by publicly shaming them in collaborative broadcasts, as long as no material damage was involved.

“Th-thank you, but…”

Of course, Shia never intended to do any sort of collaborative content with viewers.

Why?

Because she was a Saintess.

A Saintess was a being who saved and healed others.

As long as no one insulted those around her, she wouldn’t get angry, no matter what kind of insults she personally received.

Of course, Shia wasn’t a born Saintess, but someone who had entered the body of a Saintess and become the Saintess of the Dead, an anomalous non-human.

Currently, Shia was a normal human being with only a slight addition of the moral and noble traits that came with being a Saintess.

In her previous world, she had been inspired by Menelapie’s vision and the weight of the role and power that came with the position of Saintess, which had shaped her into the person she was today.

“Don’t worry, Shia. Do you not trust me?”

“Collaborating with malicious people can be more fun than you’d expect, Shia dear.”

By the way, Yeonseo was just helping out because it seemed fun.

Originally, she had come to Shia for business, but when Menelapie suggested punishing the malicious individuals, Yeonseo agreed.

She also found it fascinating how quickly the Empress Menelapie, who was from Shia’s previous world, had adapted to Earth.

“H-Hiik!”

“Shit, I messed up…”

“Guild Leader, I’ve seen your ‘mommy milkers,’ so I have no regrets…”

“You’re insane…”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”

[They’re losing it LOL. Why are there so many of them?]

[Is this… a collab?]

[Hey, be careful with your keyboard.]

[If you’re not careful, you’ll get dragged into a collab too.]

Why were the usually shameless malicious commenters now so terrified?

Because standing right before them was Yeonseo, an S-rank Hunter capable of flicking her finger and sending them plummeting from the East Coast to Mount Everest.

And beside her, Shia, who kept her head down as if embarrassed, had already been recognized as an S-rank Hunter due to her previous exploits.

No matter how brave you are behind the keyboard, standing in front of two S-rank Hunters and still managing to insult them or act tough was no small feat.

But most importantly, no one had the guts to maintain a shameless attitude in front of Menelapie.

Born as a Hero, raised as an Empress, and ruling an empire while battling the Demon King for many years, Menelapie possessed an aura far more suffocating than mere beauty or a large chest.

The few malicious commenters standing before Menelapie must have felt smaller than newborn chicks in her presence.

“No, even if we posted some harsh comments, this is still kidnapping…”

“Shut your mouth, you filthy rag.”

“…”

What the…? How did she know??

I can accept that she tracked my IP address using a drone camera, but she remembers all of my comments too?

One malicious commenter, who had been standing straight, immediately felt his legs buckle under Menelapie’s murderous tone, collapsing to his knees.

For ordinary people, the mere presence of such murderous intent without causing a heart attack was already lucky enough.

In fact, if Shia hadn’t been present, Menelapie would likely have beheaded all the malicious commenters by now.

‘Ugh… Menelapie was always this overprotective when it came to anything related to me…’

Shia suddenly remembered.

How fiercely Menelapie had protected and shielded her in the past.

There was one time in particular that stood out.

About 60 years ago, when Shia had first been appointed to the sacred position of “Saintess” in the imperial palace, some of the existing nobility and the clergy of the old religious order, which existed before the Rose Church was formed, had protested against her.

It wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

A complete outsider had suddenly been appointed as the empire’s official Saintess, the most significant and responsible position in the palace.

Of course, the elites who had been carving up the pie for themselves would be upset.

However, no one dared to oppose Menelapie directly.

At that time, Menelapie was both the strongest being among humankind and the Empress.

With many nations already falling into the hands of the Demon King, there were few brave enough to openly rebel against her.

So the entrenched powers instead turned their resentment toward Shia.

To them, Shia was an easy target.

Soft-hearted and kind by nature, she endured all kinds of insults and was often ignored when giving orders as a Saintess.

At one point, she had even been almost completely ostracized in the imperial palace.

Of course, it didn’t take long for this news to reach Menelapie’s ears.

And as soon as it did, the Empress, usually known for her golden rose of peace and serenity, transformed into a blood-soaked, ravenous rose that devoured human flesh.

‘How dare they mock the Saintess I have appointed and recognized? Have they gone mad?!’

Seeing Menelapie truly enraged for the first time, Shia was reminded why she was the Empress.

Afterward, the number of nobles attending the imperial council dwindled significantly.

Though Shia never asked Menelapie what had happened, she quietly buried the fates of those missing officials and nobles in the back of her mind.

And today, Shia was once again reminded of how terrifying Menelapie could be as the Empress.

“Do you understand what you’ve done wrong?”

For the record, Menelapie, Shia, and Yeonseo were currently in the “Rotten Mountain” dungeon.

Thanks to Yeonseo’s abilities, they could travel instantly from place to place. However, the eerie atmosphere of the dungeon, coupled with the malicious commenters kneeling in the damp, dark forest, made them look like prisoners awaiting public execution.

“If you talk too much, you’ll run out of things to say. They say you carry your death under your tongue, and that fits your situation perfectly.”

With Menelapie drawing her sword and staring down at them with cold eyes, the malicious commenters who had previously seemed indifferent began to realize that the situation was escalating far beyond what they had expected.

[Now I understand why public executions were such a form of entertainment in the Middle Ages… It’s so damn fun LOL.]

[But wait, she’s not actually going to swing that sword, right?]

[LMAO, she’s an adorable 2D character, but her voice is terrifying.]

[Her voice alone makes my legs weak.]

[I told you, her voice doesn’t work on livestreams LOL.]

[Stay quiet if you don’t want to end up in a collab LOL. Today Yeonseo is in the Guild Leader’s stream too LOL.]

[Still, the idea of squeezing the Guild Leader’s chest until milk comes out and getting a real-life meeting sounds like decent value for money.]

[?]

[?]

[??]

[Wait, you really said that?!]

[LOL]

“Busan, Jimiul-daero 359-214, Jangsan Apartments, Apartment 1204, 28-year-old female.”

“Ah, found it.”

Smack!

“Kyaah!? It… it’s real!?”

[Wow, that was instant LOL.]

[Got dragged into a collab immediately LOL.]

“Of course it’s real. Why would it be fake?”

“Wow! It’s Shia Unnie! I’m a fan! Hello, Yeonseo-nim! I’m a fan too!”

“…Ugh, hello.”

“Yes, yes. Well, fan or not, go kneel over there.”

“Y-Yes…”

As they say, the sword is closer than the law.

And so, the malicious commenters were forced to kneel like elementary school students caught doing something wrong, under the eerie atmosphere of the Rotten Mountain dungeon.

Naturally, some of them wanted to protest, feeling it was unfair to be dragged here just for posting some harsh comments.

Creeeak…

However, the moment they caught even a glimpse of Menelapie’s chilling gaze and the murderous intent barely restrained within her, they quickly abandoned such thoughts.

The oppressive atmosphere and sharp, deadly intent made them realize, ‘Oh, I really messed up,’ and all they could do was kneel silently.

About 29 malicious commenters knelt for so long that their legs began to go numb.

“…..”

“…Well…”

“I’ve seen the Guild Leader’s ‘mommy milkers,’ so I have no regrets…”

“You idiot! I have plenty of regrets!”

“Uh, excuse me, I apologize… I won’t do it again. Could you please forgive me?”

“It’s easy to say anything with words.”

Boom!

This wasn’t just a threatening atmosphere anymore.

The Hero’s murderous intent had become a physical presence so intense that it made the commenters’ skin sting.

“Ugh…”

“Hik…”

“I… I can’t… breathe…”

“H-huff…”

“H-Help… bring the ‘mommy milkers’…”

“Shut up, you idiot…!”

[The public execution begins LOL.]

[Did they not activate the perception filter?]

[It’s a public execution, and there’s no perception filter LOL.]

[Yeonseo’s streams never use a perception filter during executions.]

[Maybe it’s for privacy reasons?]

[Could be.]

“Menelapie.”

That murderous aura finally subsided when Shia placed her hand on Menelapie’s shoulder.

Shia leaned in and whispered softly to Menelapie.

“You’re not really planning to hurt them, right? Sure, they posted some harsh comments, but they’re not bad people. It wasn’t serious. It was just a really bad joke, so how about forgiving them now?”

“Ha, don’t worry, Shia. I… I mean, I understand the situation now. I just wasn’t used to the whole concept of livestreaming.”

Menelapie’s golden eyes were the epitome of understanding and analysis.

She had already grasped the situation.

She understood the dynamic of the malicious commenters and the internet broadcast ecosystem.

The problem was that her reason clashed with her overwhelming protective instincts toward Shia, leading to uncontrollable murderous intent.

Of course, Menelapie didn’t actually intend to kill them.

Even Yeonseo, who was helping out for fun, would have stepped in to stop her if she ever truly tried to draw her sword.

Hah, if this were the imperial palace, I would have dismembered them and fed them to the carnivorous warhorses… But fine, I’ll restrain myself. Here, I’m just Shia’s friend, not an Empress.

“Do you know why you’re here?”

“…Because we were being malicious…”

“Sexual harassment?”

“It’s because we went too far with our comments…”

“But the Guild Leader always said it was fine…”

“You call her the Guild Leader, your ‘King,’ and yet you simultaneously mock her like clowns? Shia may be a Saintess now, but she was once just a normal person.”

Menelapie sheathed her sword and leaned down as if telling a story.

“You claim to be fans of Shia, calling her your Guild Leader, but why do you insult her with such vulgar words?”

“…”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“It’s all just a joke…”

“Honestly, the Guild Leader probably didn’t mind…”

“Would you joke about groping your mother or other family members?”

“Why are you bringing up mothers now?”

“There’s no difference. Shia may be a Saintess, but she’s also a lonely girl who doesn’t want to lose anyone. You know that, right? Returnees have no place to lean on, and Shia relies on you for comfort. How do you think she feels when you make crude jokes about groping her body or squeezing her breasts?”

“That’s…”

“But the Guild Leader always said it was fine…”

“She said that because she was afraid you’d leave her.”

The malicious commenters turned to look at Shia.

Shia was fiddling with her fingers, pretending not to notice.

“…..”

[Uh….]

[Didn’t think about that…]

[Oh man…]

[Sorry…]

[Suddenly we’re all the bad guys…]

[Ughhh… There’s no way to change the mood now…]

“You’re not children, so I won’t say any more. I just hope there’s no need for us to see each other like this again.”

“Um, Menelapie… They don’t have any ill intentions. They’re just struggling to fit in at school or work, and their self-esteem is low at home. So they act tough on the internet… They just want to release their frustration… Um, anyway, it’s okay, really…”

“Is that so…”

[Aaaaaahhhh]

[Stop the bombardment!!!]

[Why are you shooting us when we’re just sitting here?!]

Thanks to Shia’s gentle face and her widespread bombardment of sympathy, the tension eased a little.

“Hah, fine. Even though I’d prefer otherwise, since you’ve forgiven them, I won’t say any more.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

“Hmm? Is it over?”

Yeonseo, feeling that things were wrapping up rather anticlimactically, began picturing the commenters’ locations in her head.

She had planned to punish them more thoroughly, maybe by dropping them from Everest’s peak and retrieving them before they hit the ground, but this quick forgiveness felt a bit unsatisfying.

“No, it’s not over.”

“Huh?”

“Shia, you said you’ve broadcasted from here before, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah… I have?”

She had.

Her first unofficial livestream had been when she made wyvern stew at the Kurrtala Mountain Range, but her first official broadcast had indeed taken place in the Rotten Mountain dungeon.

“When guests come, shouldn’t you at least serve them a meal?”

“…Eh…”

“Wait…”

“Oh no…”

“…”

[?]

[What?]

[??]

[What’s happening?]

[Wait, isn’t the Rotten Mountain dungeon…?]

[Oh no, it’s *that*.]

[LOL]

The viewers, who were beginning to catch on, and the malicious commenters, who were still kneeling, turned pale.

“…Oh, I see?”

“Yes, after all, Rotten Mountain has plenty of ingredients that Shia would love. And since this is a ‘collab’ stream, shouldn’t there be content that both the host and the guests can enjoy together?”

Wearing a cold smile, Menelapie looked past the terrified commenters toward the Rotten Mountain.

Yes, indeed.

There was plenty.

Plenty of blade centipedes.

“That’s right! Perfect! Guys, let’s eat together today!”

Shia, on the other hand, smiled genuinely, as if she were truly happy.

Yes, it’s always better to eat with company than alone!

“….!!!”

“…Shit.”

“Crazy…”

[LOL]

[Rotten Mountain dungeon LOL]

[Blade centipede LOL]

[Fried blade centipede LOL]

[Wait, it’s not the Sentry Dragon? It’s really blade centipedes?]

[This is the collab LOL.]

[They’re doomed LOL.]

[Both the Guild Leader and Menelapie are crazy LOL.]

[Gross.]

[I’m not a malicious commenter, though~]

[You guys chose to be malicious, now survive on sheer willpower.]

[Wow, they’re so lucky. Not only do they get to see the Guild Leader in person, but they also get a meal from her.]

[Jealous? Go for it then.]

[LOL]

[Honestly, not that jealous.]

Watching this scene unfold, Yeonseo smiled warmly.

It was better to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, right?

“Haha, I think I’ll come back later.”

Smack!

Yeonseo absolutely did not want to eat fried blade centipede.